AN:
We've finally got to Chapter 3!!!
This maybe a little bit shorter or not, but it's different from my other one. I'm getting close catching this story up to The Keyholder, so it's going to take a little more time. I do hope that this story will get lots of hearts like my other one!
I was thinking that I would find some fitting voices for the Ocs, like I did with Hibiki of finding her an English Voice Dub, cause she's already got a Japanese Voice Sub already (cause she's from a game). I know that the Hyena girl is from an anime, but that's also a Japanese VS too.
Plz leave a comment and tell me what you guys think
●・○・●・○・● Cafeteria ●・○・●・○・●
"GEH! Prefect?!" Ace said in shock when he finally noticed the Dorm Prefect, who was glaring behind him.
Other than the school uniform that he was wearing, his features were his red, mid-length hair that curves inward, V-shaped bangs covering his forehead, side bangs, and two strands of hair forming a heart on top of his head. He has a stern look and silver eyes.
"Riddle-sama!" Elizabeth jolted up, standing up from her seat, awaiting orders.
"Hey there, Riddle!" Cater said happily, trying to break the ice. "You look super cute today, too~♪"
"Hmph." Riddle just brushed it off like it was nothing and gave him a stern look. "Keep talking like that, Cater, and it will be off with your head, too."
"Come on now~ Please go easy on me~" Cater nervously said, as he sheepishly moved Elizabeth in front of him, much to her displeasement.
"Don't use me as a shield." Elizabeth quietly scolded, lightly bonking Cater's head.
"Ah!?" Grim shouted, pointing at Riddle with a glare. "This is the guy who put that weird collar on me during the Opening Ceremony!"
"You're the ones who caused a ruckus yesterday, aren't you?" Riddle said as he looked at Grim and the Soshi Twins with crossed arms. "Would you refrain from referring to someone's unique magic as "a weird collar"? Good grief, the Headmaster is too soft. Letting someone off the hook for not following the rules once will break the foundation. All those who don't follow the rules should just say goodbye to their heads. The Headmaster may have forgiven you, but the next time you break the rules, I won't let you off so easily."
"His words definitely don't match his cute face..." Ace said under his breath, receiving a glare from the Heartslabyul Prefect. "Um...By the way, Perfect...Is it possible for you to remove this collar?" he said nervously.
'He's not going to, after what you just said about him...' Yuri said in her head as she sighed.
Riddle moved closer to Ace and tugged on the lock that was attached, pulling Ace along. "I was thinking of removing it once you've repented, but judging from what you said a while ago, it seems like you've yet to do so. I'll have you walk around like that for a while longer."
"HUH!?" Ace shouted.
"Also..." Riddle looked closer at the collar, seeing the small scratches that were scattered all over on the lock. "Why are there scratches on the lock? You weren't trying to cut it off yourself, are you?"
Hearing this, made Ace and the Ramshackle residents flinch nervously as cold sweat started to roll down their faces. The four Heartslabyul residents looked at them with a questionable look on their faces. Yuki and Ace looked more nervous than the others, Yuri looked away crossing her arms, Grim kept his mouth shut by stuffing his mouth with food, and Vivid pulled her hooded hat over her face covering her dreaded expression.
"Umm...Well you see..." Ace stammered nervously. "I-I-I was trying to get it off myself with...some tools I've found...and stuff..."
"Without hurting yourself?" Riddle questioned, raising a brow. Ace quickly nodded, making the others more nervous hoping that Riddle would believe him. Riddle kept staring at him with intense eyes as if he was staring at his very soul like the Dark Mirror does and with a huff, he let go of the collar, making Ace fall back. "You don't have to worry. The 1st years' lessons are focused more on classroom learning rather than magic training. If you can't use magic, then something like yesterday's ruckus should be impossible. It's perfect, isn't it? Now, if you're done eating, hurry and go to your next class. Rule #271 of the Queen of Hearts: "You must not spend more than 15 minutes sitting at the table after you've eaten." You know what happens when you break the rules, don't you?"
"Another weird rule..." Ace complained with a sigh.
"Answer me with "Yes, Prefect!"" Riddle ordered.
"Yes, Prefect!" Ace and Deuce said in unison.
"Excellent."
"Deuce, why did you join in...?" Yuri whispered, making the blue-hair male flinch.
"Now, now." Trey finally butts in. "I'll see them off, don't worry."
"Hmph, you're the Vice Prefect, so you better do your job properly." Riddle said to him. "As stated by the Queen of Hearts' Rule #339: "After-meal lemon tea should have nothing more or less than two sugar cubes in it." In order to protect that rule, I shall need to buy more sugar cubes at the school store. I'll be taking my leave now." he then walked off as he whispered. "Good grief, the sugar pot running out of sugar cubes is a capital crime...Elizabeth."
"Yes, Riddle-sama." Elizabeth said and followed behind him.
"Uh..I do not get him..." Ace said, seeing them walk off.
"Honestly, letting the sugar cubes run out is a grave offense." Riddle sighed out as he walked in a quick pace with Elizabeth following behind him. Riddle quietly looked at each of the Night Raven students, who were minding their business, with cold judging eyes. Even though they weren't Heartslabyul students, Riddle still saw them breaking the rules in his eyes. "What do they think school and dorm rules!? Both the Headmaster and Trey are far too forgiving. I will not tolerate further rule violations." Riddle growled walking out of the cafeteria, passing some of the students that were passing by as they moved out of the way once they saw him. "I'll show them all the right path!"
Drip Drip
Unknowing to them, a dripping sound was heard as a black substance, what seems to appear to be black ink dropped on top of the red gem or Riddle's magic pen that was safely secured in the pocket of his blazer, leaving a dark faded stain on the gem. Elizabeth looked at Riddle with a worried look on her face, her ears dropped a bit. She unconsciously began to slow down a bit before coming to a complete stop. Her head cast down as she lightly touched her left cheek with shaken fingers as her other hand tightly held the helm of her blazer.
"Elizabeth!" Riddle called out, snapping Elizabeth out of her thoughts.
She looked up and saw that there was a huge gap between the two of them. Ahead of her was Riddle, who was looking back at her with crossed arms. "C-coming Riddle-sama!" she said frantically as she sprinted towards him.
The group silently watched as the two walked out of the cafeteria. Once they were gone, let out a breath of relief and slouch in their seats as the heavy tension faded away. Not only them, but also the other Heartslabyul Dorm students that were still in the cafeteria as well. None of them said a word and kept quiet while others covered their faces and their lunches from the Dorm Prefect's view of sight before he could notice.
"Man, that was scary!" Cater said as he let out a breath of relief.
"He's really lookin' like a bad guy now, yanno?" Grim said, angrily.
"Hey, that's very rude!" Deuce scolded him.
"Did the Prefect leave...?" a male whispered. Behind them were the two Heartslabyul students, whispering to each other, hiding their lunch from their view as they were shaking nervously.
"I completely forgot to follow Rule #186: "Never eat hamburg steak on Tuesdays." so I was wondering what he'd do if he found out..." the first student said as he uncovered his lunch.
"Giving us a bit of freedom won't hurt him, you know?" the second student sighed out.
"I'm just glad that Ms. Elizabeth didn't tell on us about this." the first one said. "How can she put up with him?"
Cater and Trey didn't say a word when hearing what the students said about their Dorm Prefect. Around them in different lunch tables the rest of the Heartslabyul students holding nervous and frightened looks on their faces. Some had a collar around their necks while others didn't. Most of the Heartslabyul students that weren't collared hid their lunches and drinks from Riddle's sight, so that they wouldn't get punished.
Vivid looked at the two with concern and worry. Knowing that the two of them are upperclassmen and should have rights to talk to Riddle, but with Riddle as the Dorm Prefect in their Dorm it's more of a hassle with someone with stronger magic than them. Not even Elizabeth could do anything either, her words wouldn't reach him even if she tried.
"...I mean, so do I." Ace muttered quietly, hearing their conversation. "Are these stupid rule seriously more important than we are?"
"The Dorm Head managed to become the head one week after getting into the school." Trey said, getting their attention away from the other students. "He's a little bit sharp-tongued, but he's only got the dorm's best intentions in mind, so he's not really a bad guy."
"People who think like that don't just put collars on others." Grim angrily said.
"Ahaha..." Cater and Trey nervously laughed.
"It's your fault for going wild during the ceremony, Grim." Yuri scolded, giving Grim a small glare. Yuki, Kaen and Shimo nodded their heads in agreement.
"Gggrnnnn....But that collar cuts off your magic, it's horrible and sucks." Grim grumbles.
"Hm? You mean Riddle's unique magic?" Cater replied.
"Unique Magic?" Yuri questioned, looking at the upperclassmen. "What's that?"
"Unique... Meaning, it's only exclusive to the Prefect?" Deuce asked.
"Putting aside all the other magic in the world, magic that can only be used by one person is called "unique magic". I think you'll learn about it in detail if you pay attention in class." Trey explained, making the males flinch at that last statement.
"Riddle's unique magic is being able to seal off another person's magic for a given time. It's called...Off With Your Head!" Cater piped in while doing a slicing motion at his neck with his thumb with a scary expression on his face.
"Eep!" Yuki yelps in fright, holding Shimo close to her in her arms.
"Even the name's scary!" Grim shrieked, clutching onto Yuki's arm in fright.
"Cater, don't scare the Little Dolls like that!" Vivid lightly scolded Cater as she reached over and tugged on his ear. "I don't want them to have nightmares!"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Cater cried out in pain as he flailed about. Vivid finally let go of his ear, receiving a glare from the male, who rubbed his ear to ease the pain before continuing on with what he was saying. "Since magicians having their magic sealed off is similar to having your head chopped off~ That's why, as long as you're in this dorm, it's better not to go against Riddle."
"Conversely, as long as you follow the rules, he can be pretty gentle." Trey informed.
"Oh yeah, am I gonna be chased out again if I don't come back with a tart...?" Ace said.
"Pretty much~ That's what Rule #53 says, after all~" Cater said. "Oh, and since Riddle was looking forward to getting the first slice of that whole cake, he probably won't forgive you if you don't bring the same thing~"
"You said you want to get along, but you won't let me off that easily?!" Ace shouted.
"Not to mention throwing us out in the process!" Yuri pointed out.
"This and that are different~" Cater replied to them cheerfully, like it wasn't a bother.
"HOW EXACTLY IS THAT DIFFERENT!?!?!" both of them shouted, making Cater sink in his seat.
"Have mercy..." Cater quietly pleaded.
"Still, isn't a whole tart a little bit expensive?" Deuce said.
"Ugh... I don't have that much money though..." Ace sighed out.
"Then why not make some instead?" Vivid replied.
"Those tarts were all made by Trey here, y'know~" Cater pointed out, making Trey flinch.
"If Elizabeth were here, she would agree too." Vivid said. "He even makes her favorite carrot dishes."
"You made all that Trey-senpai?!" Ace said in shock. "Amazing! It's better than what they sell here!"
"Suck up!" Yuri said, doing a fake cough, getting a glare from Ace.
"That's true, backing them is cheaper than buying them." Yuki said happily.
"Haha, thanks." Trey said with a laugh. "I think I have most of the tools and ingredients here... But I won't simply offer you my services."
"Eh?! You're gonna ask me to pay you!?" Ace shouted.
"That's pretty low, even for you." Yuri said, looking at Trey with a dull look on her face.
"Haha, there's no way I can extort money from a junior, you know?" Trey said. "The next tart that Riddle wants to eat requires a lot of chestnuts. Would you mind gathering some for me?"
"It's troublesome either way...!" Ace said with a sigh of defeat. "So, how much do you need?"
"It's going to be used for the Unbirthday Party, so about two to three hundred will do." Trey announced.
"T-two to th-three hun-hundred..." Yuki stammered in shock.
Yuri stared at Trey in disbelief. "Y-You're kidding...right?"
"That much!?" both Grim and Deuce cried out in shock.
"I'll have you help me with roasting them and peeling them." Trey said to them.
. . . . . . .
"Can I go back home?" Grim said, raising his paw up.
"Me, too." Deuce called out, raising his hand.
"Me as well." Yuri called out, doing the same.
"You traitors!" Ace shouted at them in anger.
"I like to help you make the tarts, Ace-kun." Yuki said politely.
"Thank you." Ace said and glared at the rest. "At least someone offered to help me!"
"There, there~ Making them together and then eating them together will make it more delicious~!" Cater said getting between Deuce and Yuri, placing his arms around both their shoulders. "It's that making memories thing~ It might help you start a cooking blog for all we know~"
"Keep this a secret from the Perfect, but freshly made Mont Blanc Tart is the best." Trey said to them, placing his finger over his lips. "The only ones who can eat it as soon as it gets out of the oven are the ones who made it, you know?"
"What about Elizabeth?" Vivid asked him. "Do you think that she wants to help out as well?"
"Elly's optional, but I think we could manage on our own for now." Trey answered. "I don't want to overwork her."
Grim jumped out of Yuki and stood on the lunch table. "Hey, you boys! Get your rear in gear! We're gonna go pick some chestnuts 'til we drop!"
"Wow, you change your mind fast." Yuri plain said to Grim.
"Where can we find the chestnuts?" Yuki asked Trey.
"There are a lot of chestnut trees right by the forest behind the school's botanical garden." Trey replied as he got up from his seat.
"Alright!" Ace shouted with a grin. "Then, let's gather in front of the greenhouse after school."
"Go, go~! We're goin' chestnut picking~!" Grim called out as they got up and left the cafeteria.
●・○・●・○・● Woods Behind Campus ●・○・●・○・●
The group went behind the campus where the woods were, Trey and Vivid went to the kitchen to get everything that they needed to make the tarts. They looked to see lots of trees filled with either apples or chestnuts. The sound of birds were heard in some of the trees as a gentle breeze blew by, making the leaves move softly in the gentle currents. Kaen and Shimo ran around a bit, chasing each other playfully, enjoying the nice warm sun and cooling shade made from the trees.
The small clusters of trees were near and far from each other, leaving gaps for people to walk through. The leaves over them, covered them in the shade blocking the heat coming from the sun as the sun's light peeked through the small gaps the leaves weren't covering, giving the woods a lovely hue of appearance.
"Whoa! There really are a lotta chestnuts here! If we have this much, then it's all-you-can-eat Mont Blanc Tarts for us! Gehehe..." Grim snickered as he reached up to grab a chestnut. "Let's hurry and—Ouch!!"
"Grim, are you okay?" Yuki said, rushing over to Grim.
"Gah! The chestnut's thorns dug into my paw pads!" Grim cried out, cradling his injured paw.
"Aww, you poor thing!" Yuki whimpered as she picked up Grim.
"Yuki don't baby him." Yuri sighed out.
"Looks like it'll be impossible to pick them up with bare hands." Deuce said. "I would also like to have a bucket to place them all in, too."
"Maybe we can find those things in the botanical garden?" Ace said, pointing at the Botanical Garden from a distance.
"Shall we go see?" Deuce said.
"I'll wait here for you guys if I find more chestnuts." Yuri suggested.
"Are you sure?" Ace asked her. "You don't want one of us to stay with you?"
"Nah, I'll be fine." Yuri replied back and looked at Kaen. "Plus, Kaen is going to stay with me."
"Kon!" Kaen said, sitting next to Yuri.
"Okay...we'll be right back." Deuce said as they headed to the botanical garden.
●・○・●・○・● Botanical Garden ●・○・●・○・●
Inside the botanical garden was very beautiful to look at as soon as you walked in. Everywhere you see was all plant life; from fruits to vegetables, beautiful flowers all in different colors in pots, and even herbs for different uses. Trees both big and small, scattered everywhere in the area. The sun shines through the clear glass of the dome, giving light to all the plants. The water under the walkway glistens in the sunlight, making the water sparkle in beauty and make people wonder what it would look like when it's night time.
"Whoa! It looks bigger on the inside." Ace said, amazed by the sight of the garden.
"It's so lovely here!" Yuki said, looking at the plants. Shimo leaned in to get a closer look at one of the flowers that was near by her. "I wish Yuri was here to see this. She wouldn't want to leave here."
"Kon!" Shimo said happily.
"We should be able to find the necessary tools here." Deuce said. "Should we split up and look?"
Ace pointed in one direction. "I'll go right, then."
"I'll check west." Deuce said, pointing in another direction and looked at the Ramshackle residents. "Would you three mind checking the back?"
"No problem." Yuki said as she picked Grim and Shimo up in her arms.
ₓ˚. ୭ ˚○◦˚.˚◦○˚ ୧ .˚ₓ
Yuki walked down the back path of the garden with Shimo on her shoulder and Grim walking a bit ahead of her. Yuki looked around the area, gazing at the different plants that were around. Compared to the plants back at City Forest, it was very much beautiful to see all different kinds of flora in one place instead of different areas of the land.
"Hey, come look at this." Grim said, pointing at a bunch of fruit that was on the trees. "It looks like there's tons of fruit here! They smell so good!"
"You can't pick them." Yuki lightly scolded him as she grabbed him just before he could pick the fruit. She then looked from plant to plant with amazement. "These are all plants I've never seen before."
"Please! Just one bite wouldn't hurt..." Grim pleaded as he tried to reach for the fruit again.
"No Grim. Don't pull an Ace." Yuki said, moving away from the plant, much to Grim's disappointment. "We came here to search for some things to get the chestnuts, remember."
"Kon!" Shimo lightly scolded Grim.
"Boo!"
"Maybe we can find some pliers over here somewhere." Yuki said as she looked around, not knowing that something was laying on the ground, that she soon then stepped on.
"Ow–!" someone yelped in pain, catching the two's attention.
"Did I step on something?" Yuki questioned, looking around on the ground.
"Hey." a deep voice called out to them, making them jump. Looking behind them, someone came out from behind the bushes, looming over them was a male who seemed to have lion ears on his head.
He's a muscular young-man with brown skin. Thick, messy brown hair with two braids on either side. He also has green eyes, with a thin scar going from his left eyebrow to his cheek. Compared to the school uniform that he was wearing, he seemed to be in a different dorm than her friends.
"You've got some nerve stepping on someone's tail without saying anything. I went here thinking I could have a peaceful nap, then you go and step on my tail." he said in an irritated tone and let out a sigh. "This sucks."
"Eep" Yuki squeaked out quietly.
"Wow, you've got quite a scary mug..." Grim grumbly said.
"Grim, be nice!" Yuki quietly scolded and bowed to the male in front of her. "I-I'm so sorry!"
"You... Ah, you're the herbivore that the Mirror said can't use magic. Hmph." he huffed as he loomed over her, getting close to her personal space.
Yuki leaned back a bit, arching her back. 'Eeek!! H-he's sniffing me!'
The male held a questionable look. 'She has a strange mixture on her...And it's not from those pests she got with her either...' he moved back and looked back at Yuki with a smirk. ".....Ha. I smelled a speck of magic on you. For some reason you're holding a strange scent as if... You know what, I don't feel like talking to an opponent that can't resist."
"Urk... I don't know how to explain, but his glares are sending chills down my spine!" Grim quivered.
"Kon..." Shimo whimpered, hiding behind Yuki's legs.
"You think I'm gonna let you off scot free after you step on the great Leona's tail?" he said with a smirk. "I'm in a bad mood after being woken up from a good sleep. Hope you're ready to leave behind a tooth."
Yuki stood there in fright, eyes widened in fear. 'H-he's gonna hit me...!!' she said in her head as her body froze as his hand reached out towards her closer and closer.
"Leona-san~!" a voice called out, stopping the male's attack, freezing from Yuki's face just as another came into view.
His hair was spiky, dark blonde hair; with two large hyena ears sticking out on the top of his head. He has green-grey eyes, which are often half-lidded. He is also shown to have a short, thin tail that matches the color of his ears. Compared to him and the hyena girl, Hellen, they are the same species but their appearances are different from each other.
"What?" Leona said.
"I knew you'd be here." the male hyena said. "You've got supplementary lessons today."
"And here comes the noisy one." Leona sighed.
"You already repeated a year, Leona-san." he said. "If things keep going like this, we'll end up being classmates next year, y'know?"
"Ah, shut it. Stop nagging, Ruggie." Leona groaned as the two ignored Yuki.
"I don't wanna nag you either!" the hyena male, known as Ruggie said annoyed. "Geez, you can do anything you put your mind to, but you don't put effort at all. Come on, let's go! I don't want Hellen scolding me right now as she already is..."
"Tch." Leona looked and spoke without looking at Yuki. "You better be on guard the next time you see me, you herbivores— Gehk!" Leona stopped himself when he turned around to look at Yuki.
"Hm?" Ruggie's ears twitched and turned around. "What's wrong— Gehk!"
Before them, to their surprise, Yuki stood there like a frozen statue, all the color had left her body. Her eyes were white blank with no sign of irises showing as her head was tilted slightly up. Strands of hair stood up in different places on her head. And to top everything off, her mouth was gapply opened enough for her soul to seep out of as it was shown floating out of her mouth.
Turns out when Leona was getting ready to attack her, Yuki's mind went to the fight or flight method. But it looks like everything was too quickly for her to think and was left shell shocked. And before they knew it, Yuki just stood there as everything around her began to fade from her sight. As you can see, Yuki has fainted from fright.
"Y-Yuki!" Grim shouted in fear as he tried to catch her fleeing soul. "Stay with us!"
"KON!!" Shimo cried out desperately as she tried to wake her master up.
"What the hell did you do to her!?" Ruggie shouted, roughly grabbing his hair with his hands.
"I was only just going to flick her forehead!" Leona shouted, glaring at Ruggie. "You stopped me before I could!"
"Well it looked like she thought differently!" Ruggie said, pointing at Yuki, who was still in a fainted state.
"Hey Yuki! Where are ya!?" Ace called out, catching the two's attention.
"We've found some things that can help us get the chestnuts!" Deuce called out.
"Crap people are coming over here!" Ruggie shouted with a whispered tone. "What are we going to do!?"
"Tch!" Leona gritted his teeth in irritation and without a second thought, he grabbed Ruggie by the back of his blazer. "We're leaving!"
"Wha—!" Ruggie shouted as he was getting pulled, leaving Yuki, Grim, and Shimo by themselves.
As soon as they left, Grim gasped out a breath of relief. "Gah!! That was nerve-wracking...!" Grim panted out, cold sweat rolling down his cheek. "What's with that beastly attendant?!"
Ace was holding the tongs in his arms, while Deuce was carrying the baskets in his arms. "We found a basket and some tongs here!" Ace said, waving one of the tongs in the air.
"Did something happen to—Gehk" Deuce saw the two uneasy and seemed to be distressed about something before they came along. "WHAT HAPPENED TO HER!?!?!?!?"
"WHY DID SHE LOOK LIKE SHE SAW A DEAD BODY!?!?!?!" Ace shouted, dropping the tongs in the process.
"She fainted!" Grim cried out, tears rolling down his cheeks as he kept hold of Yuki's soul.
"Kon..." Shimo whimpered with tears in her eyes.
"Come on girl, wake up!" Ace shouted as he lightly shook Yuki, trying to wake her up. "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"
"Kon Kon!!" Shimo called out, hoping that Yuki had heard her.
"What in the world happened over here?" Deuce asked.
●・○・●・○・● Woods Behind Campus ●・○・●・○・●
The group made it back to the woods and started picking the chestnuts from the trees, after snapping Yuki back into reality. The guys plucked the ones that were on the tall branches, while the girls got the ones on the lower branches. Grim, Kaen and Shimo stood by watching them collect the chestnuts. Grim was telling them what happened at their end when they met Leona and Yuki almost got 'attacked' in the process and to her fainting.
"And that's what happened." Grim said to them.
"That dude's definitely not an attendant." Ace said, collecting chestnuts and putting them in the basket.
"Now that I think about it, he was wearing a yellow vest." Grim had to think for a moment to remember the name of the Dorm. "Maybe he's from the Mackerel Dorm?"
"Mackerel... Oh, you mean Savanaclaw." Deuce corrected with a troubled expression on his face. "Maybe Night Raven College has a lot of... delinquents."
"And after what happened to Yu-Yu, I think it's best to stay away from the students that are staying in that Dorm." Ace said.
"I guess you're right— Yu-Yu?" Yuki questioned and looked back at Ace. "Who's Yu-Yu?"
"You are." Ace replied, pointing his tongs at her and then pointed at Yuri. "And hers is Yuu. I thought that since both your names are different by one letter, I have a feeling that people might confuse on who's who. So I thought I would give you two nicknames, to make it easier."
"That's...actually I kinda like it." Yuki said. "Sometimes people mix up who's who with me and Yuri, and we've corrected them from time to time. Ain't that right, sis?"
"Stupid! Savanaclaw! Student! Making! My! Sister! Faint!" Yuri grunted angrily as she roughly yanked the chestnuts off the trees with a glowered look on her face.
"Aaand she's not listening..." Yuki sighed out.
"I'm just glad that she stayed here..." Deuce replied nervously. "I'm kinda scared of what she might do if she was there with you..."
"At least she's collecting this many that we need." Ace said and picked up his basket. "Alright, our chestnut pile is pretty big. Let's go back to Trey-senpai!"
"Nyaha! I can practically taste the tart already~!" Grim cheered and jumped on Ace's shoulder.
"Coming! Come on Yuri, we gotta go." Yuki assured and dragged her still angry sister by her arm.
"If I ever come across that man. I swear..." Yuri growled under her breath.
"I know sis. I know..."
●・○・●・○・● Kitchen ●・○・●・○・●
The group made it to the kitchen and spotted Trey and Vivid with all of the cooking material ready on the counter. They've placed the baskets down with tired grunts and groans of the heavy weight they have to carry.
"Welcome back." Trey greeted them and looked at their baskets. "I see you've picked a bunch."
"My~ What a load you all brought back." Vivid said, looking at the baskets.
"You can make a gigantic tart with these!" Grim said cheerfully.
"Kon!" Kaen and Shimo cried out, happily.
"Though, you'll end up doing more work, but... Do your best." Trey said.
Deuce let out a sigh as he saw all the chestnuts that they had to peel. "All of this, huh... I feel like we'll be here for a long time."
"So many chestnuts to peel..." Yuki said, looking at them.
"I hope that this is worth it, cause I find this ridiculous." Yuri said, after washing her hands.
"Preparing beforehand is necessary when making dessert." Trey said to them.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Let's just get it over with!!" Ace shouted as he rolled up his sleeves.
To Be Continued...